NDIS and Aged Care Funding for Bidet Seats in Australia
If you or someone you care for has trouble reaching, twisting or gripping, a bidet toilet seat can restore a part of daily life that most people never have to think about. For people living with a disability, and for older Australians who want to keep managing on their own, it is one of the least expensive pieces of assistive technology that changes how a day feels.
This guide explains how bidet seats are funded in Australia, what the rules actually say, and how to work out which seat suits the situation. It covers both funding routes, because which one applies to you comes down to a single question: your age.
The short answer
Bidet seats are recognised as assistive technology in both the disability and aged care systems in Australia. Under the NDIS they sit in a support item created specifically for them. Under the new aged care system they fall under assistive technology for toileting. Neither scheme guarantees funding for any individual, because both assess what is reasonable and necessary for your circumstances, but the category exists in both.
One detail matters more than any other, and most people are never told it: every bidet seat we sell costs less than $1,500. Under the NDIS, that figure is the line between the simple pathway and the complicated one.
Which scheme applies to you
The dividing line is 65.
- Under 65: the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
- 65 or over: the aged care system, now delivered through the Support at Home program.
There is one common exception. If you were already an NDIS participant before turning 65, you can generally choose to stay with the NDIS rather than move across to aged care. If that is your situation, the NDIS section below is the one that applies to you.
NDIS funding for a bidet if you are under 65
Bidets are named in the NDIS support item itself
The NDIS support catalogue contains an item that covers exactly this, and the NDIS description names bidets outright:
05_091200111_0103_1_2
Toilet Attachments and Accessories
"Raised or special seats, bidet and other toilet attachments used to address functional limitations in toileting"
It sits under Support Category 05, Assistive Technology, as a capital support, in registration group 0103, Personal Care and Safety. Capital support means it is funded as a one-off purchase rather than as an ongoing service.
This matters when you are talking to a plan manager or an occupational therapist. Quoting the support item number is far more useful than asking whether a bidet is covered, because the number is the language the system itself uses. Your plan manager may also need it on the invoice.
The $1,500 low-cost assistive technology rule
The NDIS classifies assistive technology by cost. Anything under $1,500 that is considered low risk is treated as low-cost assistive technology. For items in that band, the NDIS states that you do not need to provide quotes, evidence or an assessment, and you do not need to ask for approval before you buy. You can read the current rule on the NDIS low-cost assistive technology page.
Our full range of bidet seats runs from $219 to $1,499, so every seat we sell falls inside that band. In practical terms, that usually means a participant does not have to wait months for an assessment and a quote cycle to be able to use one.
Two qualifications, and both are important. First, the funding still has to be available in the right part of your plan, and the purchase still has to be a reasonable and necessary support related to your disability. Second, the NDIS recommends getting professional advice before buying even low-cost items, so that what you buy actually suits you. That advice is worth taking.
How your plan is managed changes who you can buy from
This is the part that causes the most confusion.
- Self-managed: you can purchase from any provider, pay directly and claim it back.
- Plan-managed: you can purchase from any provider, and your plan manager pays the invoice.
- NDIA-managed: you can only purchase from providers registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Bidetto is a retail store, not a registered NDIS provider. If you are self-managed or plan-managed, you can buy from us the same way you would buy anything else, and we can provide an itemised invoice for your records or your plan manager, with the support item number on it. If your plan is NDIA-managed, you will need to purchase through a registered provider instead, and we would rather tell you that now than after you have placed an order.
When an occupational therapist is worth involving
Even where an assessment is not required, an OT report is genuinely useful in three situations: where the need is not obvious from the plan, where more than one type of equipment is being considered together, or where a carer's hours might be reduced as a result. An OT can document the functional reason, which is what turns a purchase into a supported one.
If you are an occupational therapist reading this and you would like specifications, dimensions or a written quote for a client, contact us and we will send whatever you need.
Aged care funding for a bidet if you are 65 or over
Aged care funding in Australia changed in 2025. Home Care Packages and the Commonwealth Home Support Programme were brought into a single program called Support at Home, and equipment was separated out into its own scheme: Assistive Technology and Home Modifications, usually shortened to AT-HM.
Separating equipment out is good news for any elderly person who needs a bidet toilet seat. Under the old arrangement, equipment competed for the same budget as care hours. Under AT-HM it has its own funding.
The scheme funds assistive technology across three tiers:
| Tier | Funding |
|---|---|
| Low | Under $500 |
| Medium | Up to $2,000 |
| High | Up to $15,000, and more where the need is assessed as greater |
Toileting supports are named in the scheme's own examples of what assistive technology covers. A bidet seat at our price range sits inside the low or medium tier. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing publishes the details on its AT-HM scheme page.
Access works like this. Older people are assessed for AT-HM as part of an aged care assessment. Anyone who moved across from a Home Care Package reaches the scheme without needing a further assessment. Items are then treated as low risk, under advice, or prescribed, depending on what they are. Low risk items do not need a prescription. Prescribed items need a suitably qualified health professional, often an occupational therapist, to prescribe them.
If you are unsure where you sit, your aged care provider or care partner is the right person to ask first. They will know your assessment and your budget.
Choosing a bidet seat when mobility is the issue
Most bidet guides compare features. When independence is the reason for buying, a smaller set of things actually matters.
Where the controls are
This is the single most important decision, and it goes in two directions.
A wireless remote suits someone who cannot comfortably reach or twist to the side of the seat. It can be mounted on the wall within easy reach, or kept beside the toilet. The trade-off is that a remote can be misplaced, and it needs batteries changed.
A side control panel suits someone who finds a remote confusing or is likely to lose it, or where a carer is assisting. The controls are always in the same place and cannot go missing. The trade-off is that you have to be able to reach and see them.
There is no universally better answer. Think about the specific person.
A warm air dryer
For many people this is the feature that makes the difference between managing alone and needing help, because it removes the wiping step entirely rather than just reducing it. If independence is the goal, prioritise it.
Whether there is a power point near the toilet
Electric seats need a nearby power outlet. Plenty of older Australian bathrooms do not have one. If that is your situation, a non-electric seat gives you water washing with no power at all, and a hybrid seat runs its main functions without power. We compare the two in detail in electric versus non-electric bidets.
The shape of your toilet pan
Seats are made for D-shape, round and elongated pans. Measuring before you order takes two minutes and avoids the most common return we see. Our Fit Guide walks through it.
What happens after it arrives
Every seat is WaterMark certified and everything required for installation is in the box. If you want to know what the process looks like before you order, we have written it up in how a bidet seat is installed in Australia.
Which bidet seat suits which situation
| Situation | Seat | Price |
|---|---|---|
| No power point near the toilet | Luelue LB5000, round or D-shape | $219 |
| Wants washing to keep working during a power outage | Luelue LB6000 Hybrid | $549 |
| Entry level electric seat | DIB C410 | $499 |
| Warm air dryer is the priority | DIB C430 | $699 |
| Needs a wireless remote | DIB C450R | $799 |
| Remote with a long range, usable from across the room | Luelue LB7000 | $999 |
| Controls fixed to the seat, nothing to misplace | DIB C830 | $1,099 |
| Remote with a screen and saved presets | DIB C850R | $1,099 |
| Side controls with the full feature set | DIB U850 | $1,399 |
Every seat above is under the $1,500 NDIS low-cost assistive technology threshold. You can compare all 15 seats side by side, or browse the full range of electric bidet seats.
If a warm seat is part of what you are after, we have also written a guide to heated toilet seats in Australia.
What we can and cannot help with
We can send you specifications, dimensions and photographs, provide an itemised quote or invoice for a plan manager, and answer questions about which seat suits a particular need.
We cannot tell you whether your plan will fund a purchase, and we will not pretend otherwise. That decision belongs to the NDIS, your plan manager, or your aged care provider, and it depends on your assessment and your budget rather than on the product. Anyone who tells you a bidet is NDIS approved for you personally, before looking at your plan, is guessing.
Common questions
Is a bidet covered by the NDIS?
Bidets are named in the NDIS description of support item 05_091200111_0103_1_2, so the category is covered. Whether it is funded for you depends on whether it is a reasonable and necessary support for your disability, and on the funding available in your plan.
Do I need an OT report to buy a bidet on the NDIS?
For low-cost assistive technology under $1,500, the NDIS states you do not need quotes, evidence or an assessment, and you do not need prior approval. An OT report is still worth having where the need is not obvious from your plan.
I am over 65. Can I still get help with the cost?
Through the aged care system rather than the NDIS. Assistive technology is funded under the AT-HM scheme within Support at Home, in tiers of under $500, up to $2,000, and up to $15,000. Start with your aged care provider or care partner.
Can I claim a bidet if I am NDIA-managed?
You would need to buy from an NDIS registered provider. We are a retail store and not registered, so we can supply self-managed and plan-managed participants only.
Which bidet is best for a disabled or elderly person?
It depends on reach and dexterity more than on price. Someone who cannot twist to the side of the seat needs a wireless remote. Someone who would misplace a remote is better off with a side control panel. A warm air dryer matters more than almost any other feature if the goal is managing without help.
What if there is no power point near the toilet?
A non-electric seat needs no power at all, and a hybrid seat runs its main functions without it.
Where to start
If you are under 65, look at how your plan is managed and check what sits in your assistive technology funding. If you are 65 or over, speak to your aged care provider about AT-HM. In both cases, work out first whether a remote or side controls suit the person better, and whether there is power near the toilet, because those two answers narrow the choice more than anything else.
If you would like help matching a seat to a specific situation, or you need a quote in a particular format for a plan manager or an OT, get in touch. We are a small Australian business and you will be talking to a person, not a call centre.
This article explains how the NDIS and aged care systems describe assistive technology funding. It is general information and not financial, medical or clinical advice. Funding decisions are made by the NDIS, your plan manager or your aged care provider based on your individual assessment. Scheme rules and thresholds change, so check current details with the relevant scheme before relying on them.
Blog photo source: Image by magnific